Effects Of Vacuum Controlled Static Versus Vacuum Controlled Dynamic Dry Cupping On Pain, Range Of Motion And Disability Among Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain

July 20, 2026 updated by: Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

This randomized controlled clinical trial aims to compare the effects of vacuum-controlled static dry cupping and vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping on pain intensity, lumbar range of motion, and functional disability in patients with chronic low back pain. Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups receiving either static or dynamic dry cupping along with conventional treatment. The outcomes will be assessed to determine which cupping technique is more effective in improving pain, mobility, and functional ability in individuals with chronic low back pain.

[Time Frame: Measured at baseline (pre-intervention) and after 6 weeks (post-intervention completion).

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

48

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab Province
      • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
        • Sehat Medical Complex
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Arooba Hassan, MSPT

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 30 to 40 years. (21)
  • Both male and female genders (15)
  • Patients experiencing LBP with a score of at least 3/10 on the NPRS (22)
  • For more than three months (22).
  • Individuals whose workstations have not been ergonomically designed and who have not previously received structured ergonomic interventions related to workplace layout, task design, or load modification also involving home tasks and daily activities. (31)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • * Subjects with lower body condition (i.e., spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, or intervertebral disk derangement) (15)

    • Subjects with a history of cancer (15)
    • Subjects experiencing referred leg symptoms (15)
    • Subjects with any current local or systemic infections, vascular disease, including varicose veins (17)
    • History of spine surgery or spinal tumor (17).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Static Dry Cupping
Participants in this group will receive vacuum-controlled static dry cupping applied to the lumbar region. The cups will be placed on specific points over the lower back and kept stationary for approximately 10 minutes per session along with conventional physiotherapy management for chronic low back pain.
Other: Vacuum-Controlled Static Dry Cupping
Vacuum-controlled static dry cupping will be applied to the lumbar region of patients with chronic low back pain. Cups will be placed on the affected area and kept stationary for approximately 10 minutes to create negative pressure, aiming to improve blood circulation, reduce pain, and relieve muscle tension.
Active Comparator: Dynamic Dry Cupping
Participants in this group will receive vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping applied to the lumbar region. After creating negative pressure, the cups will be gently moved over the lower back to mobilize soft tissues along with conventional physiotherapy management for chronic low back pain.
Other: Vacuum-Controlled Dynamic Dry Cupping
Vacuum-controlled dynamic dry cupping will be applied to the lumbar region. After creating negative pressure, the cups will be gently moved over the skin to mobilize soft tissues, enhance circulation, reduce pain, and improve lumbar mobility in patients with chronic low back pain.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Intensity
Time Frame: Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Pain intensity in patients with chronic low back pain will be assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The NPRS is an 11-point scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain. It will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of vacuum-controlled static and dynamic dry cupping in reducing pain levels.
Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Lumbar Range of Motion
Time Frame: Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Lumbar range of motion will be measured to assess improvement in spinal mobility in patients with chronic low back pain. Lumbar movements including flexion, extension, and lateral flexion will be evaluated using a goniometer or inclinometer.
Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Functional Disability
Time Frame: Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.
Functional disability related to chronic low back pain will be assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), a validated questionnaire that measures the impact of back pain on daily activities such as walking, sitting, standing, and personal care.
Baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Shoaib Waqas, Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 20, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UBAS/ERB/26/04/019

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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